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Little Leeway In New Jersey Speed Limits

Think you're safe from a ticket if you drive only 5 or 10 mph over the speed limit? If you're in New Jersey, think again. State police records show that since the limit was raised to 65 mph on some roads in the state, troopers have been issuing plenty of tickets to people clocked between 1 and 9 mph above the limit.

New Jersey state police issued nearly 23,000 tickets between May 1998 and May 1999 to people going 1 to 9 mph above the limit. Even more tickets were written to drivers traveling between 10 and 19 mph above the limit — 30,447, to be exact.The 65-mph speed limit increased the speeds on only 475 miles of highway when it went into effect in May 1998. Lawmakers are considering increasing the speed limit to 65 mph on all interstate highways and tollroads, but the state Department of Transportation says it won't endorse the idea until an 18-month trial period established by the legislation is completed and the department completes its research evaluating the new limits.